The purpose of Hand-Off Communication is to provide accurate information about a patient’s care, treatment and services, current condition and any recent or anticipated changes. The information communicated during hand off must be interactive and accurate.

A hand off includes information exchange during:

* Nursing shift change
* Nursing to Physician Communication
* Physician transfer of complete responsibility during vacation coverage
* Physician transfer of on call responsibility
* Nurse temporarily leaving a unit for break
* Nurse and physician hand off from patient registration to the inpatient unit (Admitting physician to attending physician and admission staff to unit RN)
* Nurse and social service clinician hand off before patient goes to off unit group and upon return from group if significant change has taken place
* Physician hand off upon transfer to another hospital setting

Standards for Hand Off Communication:

- Hand off communication is interactive, allowing the opportunity for questioning between the giver and receiver of patient/client/resident information

- Hand off communication includes up to date information regarding the patient care, treatment and service, condition and any recent or anticipated changes

- Interruptions are to be minimized to limit the possibility that information would fail to be conveyed or would be forgotten.

- Hand off communication requires process for verification of the received information including repeat-back or read-back as appropriate.

- The receiver of the hand off information has the opportunity to review relevant patient historical data, which includes previous care, treatment, or services.

- Hand off communication is required for all patients who are deemed to be at risk for elopement, suicide, combative destructive issues, seizures, seclusion or restraint who are currently on precautions as well as those patients who have just been removed from precautions and/or those patients with special care needs.

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